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Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 169, 22 November 1876, Page 2

There is an amusing story told by the Masterton News of how the Manager of one of the Wellington Banks, on paying a recent visit to that township, called upon a customer whom he had not soon before, and was mistaken for a dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church. It may be explained that the Bank Manager in question is addicted to close shaving, a modification of the clerical bat, and a somewhat severe style of costume. At any rate, the customer took him for a Church dignitary, welcomed him cordially, confidentially informed’him that ho had lately been presented with a son and heir, and wound up by asking him, ££ to baptise the baby after he bad read mass.” ££ Road mass on Sunday, and then baptise your boy ; Good Heavens ! is that supposed to be the duty of a Bank Manager in Masterton ?” exclaimed __the astounded man of finance. Then j/tty found out that there was a mistake somewhere, made mutual explanations, and liquored up. But that baby has not been baptised yet. The ££ Intelligent Vagrant ” in the New Zealand Mail writes— ££ A number of grovelling creatures profess to be incapable of understanding Sir George Grey. I am not one of these, but_ at the same time, some utterances of bis during tho session do seem to me susceptible of explanation, which I hope he alford. Thus I have heard him say at different times the following—“ Sir, I have devoted a large portion of my life to the study of history, ancient and modem —Sir, I have spent a great part of my time in the investigation of financial statements Sir, political economy has been my sludy during the greater portion of my life—■ Sir, I have passed the greater my life reading constitutional law —Sir, the framing of national estimates lias been the study of the greatest part of my life.” Now, I only want to know, supposing these things to be so, what Sir George has been doing with the remainder of his life, with his spare time in fact. The wool exported from New Zealand in 1875, reached nearly 54£ millions of pounds weight, of the declared value of £3,398,155. The Archbishop of York recently made a temperance speech at Liverpool, in which he said that drunkenness in England was rapidly increasing—that £145,000,000 was spent yearly in drink, and onlj' £2,000,000 in religion and charity—that the public of England were responsible for the encouragement of drinking and increased temtations ; and he strongly condemned the excessive number of public houses which existed in Liverpool, more especially about the Sailor’s Horne, where, in a space of a hundred and fifty yards, there were no less than 46 public houses, standing like cancons in a battle. Each public house must have occupied an uncommonly small plot of ground if the figures of the Archbishop are correct. Even colonial shanties can scarcely be built on a section of ground not four yards,wide.

The Melbourne correspondent, of the Otago Daily Times in a recent letter says ;—“ In reference to the preparation for the races, I mav mention that some of our ladies have met with a painful disappointment. Some very fashionable ladies had ordered their dresses from Paris —not so much perhaps because they expected an3 r thing better, but because it is very distangy to be abler to say that they wore a dress costing £SOO from Worth. Unluckily for these ambitions the last mail steamer could not bring on all her cargo from Galle, and among the boxcp thus left were those containing the Paris dresses. Hence much weeping, and those substitutes which ladies have to adopt for the use of strong language, which men arc so ready to resort to on similar occasions. I am painfully conscious that the remark only proves my consummate ignorance ; but really 1 cannot see why they should go to Paris for their dresses. Surely Mr Worth himself would not venture to construct pull-backs pulled very much further back than those exhibited daily in (Jollins-strect, or to frame dresses which would display more of the natural charms of their wearers than those tightly fitting closely drawn robes which excite the admiration of Melbourne dandies, as they are shown off in the afternoon perambulations of the block."